Chapter Text
Suo takes Haruka back to their room, his hand a gentle, steady presence on the small of his back, frequently rubbing gentle circles. In combination with his alpha’s calming, spring rain scent, Haruka’s nausea was slightly abated.
Slightly.
Suo gently sits Haruka back down on the futon, which had already been made again by one of the servants. “One moment,” he says before promptly leaving the room, carefully sliding the door shut behind him. In a matter of seconds he returns, holding a cup.
He kneels down in front of Haruka. “Drink some,” he says gently, and Haruka obeys, gingerly taking the cup and drinking from it. Cold water immediately hits his tongue, and Haruka finds himself calming down almost immediately.
“You can rest here before we leave,” Suo says. “I imagine they’ll take another twenty minutes or so to finish up.”
Haruka nods uneasily. The motion makes his stomach churn even more.
“Sorry,” Haruka says, and Suo shakes his head, smoothing a hand along Haruka’s cheek.
“There’s no need to apologize,” Suo says gently. Then, “It’s been a stressful past couple days, hasn’t it?”
Haruka almost snorts. Almost.
“Would you like to lie down?”
Haruka nods, again, and Suo carefully rearranges Haruka back atop the futon sheets, his hand warm on Haruka’s waist.
“Take a nap,” Suo says, smiling. “I’ll wake you up when we have to go.”
The rest of the ride back to Bofurin territory passes relatively smoothly. Suo lifts Haruka back into his palanquin, where he sits silently for the rest of the journey, the palm of his hand a permanent imprint on his stomach as he tries and fails to bite down his nausea. His alpha rides next to him on his horse. Aside from a few comments here and there inquiring about Haruka’s wellbeing (“I’m fine,” Haruka always says,) he doesn’t speak.
Haruka wonders if Suo is hungry. He didn’t really get to eat much because he had been taking care of Haruka, and he had politely refused the rations that Umemiya offered him in passing. Maybe he wasn’t feeling well either.
Or maybe the bedding ceremony had more of an effect on his alpha than Haruka had initially thought.
“Haruka-kun,” Suo suddenly says, his voice soft and pleasant. “We’ve made it to the town.”
Tentatively, Haruka peers out of the window. His mismatched eyes widen.
The Bofurin clan’s territory is as massive as he had thought it would be, with buildings creeping onto the main road they’re traveling through. Their entourage attracts the townsfolk; rows of people cheerily greet Haruka’s alpha and his clan, waving from small storefronts, vendor stalls, and front entrances of homes.
Then their attention diverts to Haruka, their faces ranging between apprehensive and curious, and Haruka hurriedly ducks back into the palanquin, his fingers digging into the folds of his kimono.
Haruka hasn’t been outside in ages—not since he was a small child, and Takiishi had taken him out once without the permission of either their mother and the elders. Takiishi had kept him close, never allowing him to approach anyone; had grabbed him by the collar when Haruka started wandering off, attracted by the smell of street food.
It was for his own sake, of course. Haruka was small, even for a child, and everyone who had looked at him and his rebellious mouth and his too-thin wrists thought the same thing.
Omega.
It’s not long before they near the Bofurin clan’s estate; through the window, Haruka watches the way the corners of his alpha’s mouth curl upwards, his lone red eye softening into an even more gentle ember.
He notices Haruka’s gaze, his red eye starting to twinkle, and Haruka hurriedly averts his gaze, staring down at the stone-laden pathway. Pink cherry blossom petals litter the ground, winking underneath the soft sunlight, and more clusters join them from the blooming cherry blossom trees lining the road.
“We’ve arrived,” Haruka hears, and Haruka looks up at his alpha again, his cheeks still tinged a soft red.
Suo gestures ahead of him with one arm, and Haruka follows it, his mismatched eyes widening as he takes in the impressive sight.
The entire estate is surrounded by tall white stone fences, topped by black tiling, and green plants wind around them. Within it, the main building of the Bofuin clan estate stands at the center, nearly three stories tall and maybe three normal houses wide. Flanking it are five other houses built from the same material, all also large and looming in their own right.
“The houses belong to the Five Kings,” Suo explains when he notices Haruka’s curious gaze, smiling warmly at him. Haruka turns red under the unreasonably affectionate gaze. “The one to the left over there,” he gestures towards the house next to the main building, “is ours.”
Haruka’s heart is racing.
Ours.
“My family owns its own estate nearby, but it’s currently undergoing some renovations,” Suo further explains, sounding contrite. “We’ll move there when renovations complete in the next few weeks. Also,” his voice lowers, “Umemiya-sama requires my presence as we solidify our alliance with the Noroshi.”
Haruka nods numbly, not responding.
“We expect the Noroshi to arrive next month,” Umemiya says from nearby, smiling cheerily despite the air of wariness that immediately overtakes the other clansmen, except for, oddly, Suo. “I’m sure that you’ll be happy to see your brother again, Sakura!”
“Sakura-san,” Suo corrects.
“Ah, of course! Where are my manners?”
They stop at the very entrance of the main building, where they gently set the palanquin down, and Suo swiftly climbs off his horse, kneeling in front of the palanquin. He opens the door, wordlessly sliding one arm under Haruka’s knees and the other behind his back, slowly and carefully lifting him out from the palanquin. His gaze never leaves Haruka’s face, as if observing for any discomfort.
All the other clansmen seem to be staring at him too, their expressions ranging between curious and unreadable. Their attention makes Haruka’s stomach churn even more, so he averts his gaze, feeling his face burn a bright shade of red.
“I’m going to take Haruka-kun home,” Suo says, carefully readjusting his hold so that he’s lifting Haruka a bit higher. “We’ll join you for dinner later.”
“There’s no need,” Umemiya says, smiling at them. “You should enjoy your honeymoon.”
Suo laughs lightly, bidding Umemiya and the other clansmen goodbye as he starts walking down the stone path, towards his house. His hands feel almost unbearably warm through the light material of Haruka’s clothes.
“Honeymoon, huh?” Suo says to himself with a small sigh, smiling down at Haruka, who finds himself glancing up at the strong lines of Suo’s neck; down his alpha’s throat and towards his clavicle, hidden by the neat folds of Suo’s black kimono.
His face tinges red.
“How do you feel about going to the hotsprings in a couple weeks?”
Haruka’s face bursts into an even uglier shade of red, and he hurriedly averts his gaze. Although Haruka has never been to a hotsprings before, he’s heard plenty about them; knows that he and Suo would be sitting in some kind of bath together, naked together in close proximity, and it’s stupid for Haruka to feel flustered; Suo has seen him naked before. Has touched him before.
Has been inside of him, before.
But Suo. Suo wasn’t told to strip down, like Haruka had been. Wasn’t a lowly, pitiful omega, like Haruka is, and so—
Haruka has never seen his alpha naked before.
“It sounds fine,” Haruka manages, his face still flushed a vibrant shade of red, and Suo smiles down at him, pleased.
Haruka wonders when that expression will change to frustration and disdain. It’s only a matter of time.
Soon enough, Suo stops in front of what was to be their home for the next while. It looks like a smaller version of the main building: only one storey tall, with similar detailing and no less impressive. It’s definitely far too large for just two people.
For children, however—
“You can put me down,” Haruka says, and although Suo nods obligingly at him, the alpha walks up the steps with Haruka in his arms anyway. As they near the door, an elderly beta servant from inside opens it, bowing her head towards them.
“Welcome home, Suo-sama. Sakura-sama.” She bows even lower. “I hope your trip went well.”
“It did, thank you,” Suo says, crossing the threshold. He then finally puts Haruka down, who stands on shaky legs, grasping onto Suo’s hakama for purchase.
“My husband requires a bath,” Suo tells the woman. “Would you be able to draw one for him?”
“Of course, my lord.”
“Thank you.” Suo steps out of his hanao, neatly setting it aside. He then turns to Haruka.
“Yamanaka-san will be able to assist you with bathing,” he says, and Haruka nods, expecting this. He had been bathed weekly by servants even when he lived back with the Noroshi.
“Afterwards—”
Haruka tenses, all too aware of the space between his thighs. They’re alone together now, in Suo’s home, and it’s expected of Haruka to. To—
“Would you be interested in having some tea with me?”
Haruka stares blankly at his alpha, for a long moment. “...tea?”
“And some snacks, I would imagine,” Suo says. His smile seems to soften even more with understanding. “Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be too heavy.”
“Okay,” Haruka says.
Suo smiles sweetly. “It’s a date, then.”
Yamanaka is gentle with Haruka.
Her calloused, strong fingers are careful as she combs through his hair, never once tugging or scratching at his scalp. The cloth that she uses to scrub Haruka’s skin is feather-soft. She pays extra care to be swift and clinical, but no less gentle, as she cleans between his legs, and Haruka is only a little uncomfortable with the entire experience.
It mostly feels nice to feel properly clean, for once.
“Is there something that you would prefer to wear for this evening, Sakura-sama?” the servant asks as she dries him. “We have a variety of clothes that you can choose from.”
“...I’m fine with anything.”
“Okay, Sakura-sama. But please do let me know if my choices are not to your satisfaction.”
Haruka nods, but stays silent, not really knowing what to say to that.
The servant escorts Haruka to the tea room, located near the back of the house. She slides open the door for him, gently ushering Haruka inside.
Suo is already waiting for him, knelt in front of a low table. His hair, like Haruka’s, is slightly damp from bathing, and he’s wearing a casual white changshan, his usual hakama seemingly abandoned for the rest of the day. In front of him is a ceramic white cup of tea, as well as a small plate of red bean mochi which Haruka stares at for longer than he should.
He has had sweets before—especially when his mom had been alive—but it’s been a long time since he’d been able to stomach it.
“Thank you, Yamanaka-san,” Suo says, his lone red eye focused on the soft lines of Haruka’s simple navy blue kimono, hemmed with looping koi fish. Haruka crosses his arms, tucking his hands into his sides and blushing slightly at the alpha’s blatantly pleased expression.
“It is my pleasure, Suo-sama. I’m happy to serve Sakura-sama.”
Suo smiles. “As anyone would be.”
Haruka’s face is burning.
The servant bows again before she swiftly leaves, closing the door behind her. After a beat, Haruka kneels on the pillow in front of the table, his head lowering.
It occurs to him, then, that he should be pouring tea for his alpha.
While Haruka was terrible at learning the intricacies of tea ceremonies, serving tea is a far simpler affair: as the omega, Haruka should be getting up and kneeling by his alpha’s side; should be pouring tea and presenting it for his alpha to take, after which he was expected to remain kneeling until his alpha finished his first cup before returning to his side of the table, unless explicitly told otherwise—
Across from Haruka, Suo picks up the white ceramic teapot. Pours tea into the cup in front of him. Sets the teapot down.
Neatly slides the cup towards Haruka, along with the plate of mochi.
“It's a rice and green tea blend,” Suo says with an easy smile, gesturing towards the teapot. “I hope you like it.”
Haruka tentatively wraps his fingers around the teacup, bringing the cup to his mouth. He inhales it first, his cold nose warming from the heat. He takes a long sip, feeling himself subconsciously relax when the mild, but pleasant taste hits his tongue, the water just hot enough to not burn.
Across from him, Suo silently pours himself his own cup. Takes a sip, humming lightly before he sets it back down.
“I’m sorry,” Suo says, “that I hurt you, yesterday.”
Haruka tenses. Is this… supposed to be a test? “You didn’t.”
“I did,” Suo interrupts, his voice low. Grave. “You didn’t want to be at the ceremony.”
Haruka tenses even more. “...it’s tradition.”
“One that the Noroshi clan seems keen on following, yes,” Suo says, his voice light. Even. “But the Bofurin clan strongly dislikes the practice.”
“Then why did you go through with it?” Haruka blurts out before he can stop himself, and he slaps a hand over his mouth, his cheeks reddening with mortification. If this is a test, then Haruka has failed a thousand times over—
His alpha doesn’t so much as flinch. He leans forward slightly, clasping his hands over the table. His expression is firm. Unreadable.
“It was the only way that they would let me marry you.”
Haruka clenches his fists over his knees. Suo doesn’t have to explain who they are. The clan elders. Possibly even the clansmen themselves; at least the ones in his brother’s circle.
Haruka doesn’t want to think about his brother’s involvement.
“But please know, Haruka-kun,” the alpha’s lone red eye darkens, the lines in his jaw clenching unconsciously, “that something like that will never happen again.” His expression twists, then, into something more sad.
“I understand, however, if you don’t trust me.”
Haruka doesn’t know how to respond to that. So he averts his gaze. Takes another sip from his tea.
It sits heavy on his tongue.
Then, Haruka hears shuffling. Footsteps.
A soft, barely audible thud, as Suo kneels down beside him. Outstretches his right hand to take one of Haruka’s, his other arm locked firmly behind his back.
“However you feel about me,” Suo says, “I’ll take care of you.”
Suo lifts the hand. Kisses Haruka’s knuckles gently, firmly before lifting his head again, his lone red eye staring into Haruka’s wide gold and silver ones—
“It would be my honour.”